Gavin is turning 5. I can't believe it! I don't want it. This boy is growing up too fast! I'll never forget our first night with him, it seems like just a year ago, not 5! He seemed so tiny and fragile. There's me in the picture changing his first dipe. I remember doing that, thinking - "this isn't as easy as I thought it would be." With dogged training, it has become second nature. Thank God he now does 95% of his number two's on the throne. See the earlier posts on that subject.

Now he's a scrappy, resilient little guy with grass stained knees and dirt under his fingernails. Last week he added a really tough looking scar across his forehead, the result of a collision with the entertainment center and a trip to the E.R. ( He was actually very excited to visit the hospital, but was disappointed not to be going in an ambulance.) Now he reads to me at bedtime, not vice versa. I'm very proud of him, but it's just going too fast.

To celebrate his half decade mark, were throwing him an awesome birthday party. We're trying to fill all of his requests for it. When Sara asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted, he was pretty specific: A big wheel party with lots of flags, and a flag cake! He loves to ride his bigwheel, and has a fascination with the American flag. He loves to watch flags blowing in the wind, it is his escape. Lots of kids with autism have different types of passions. For some it is running water, spinning wheels, or  ceiling fans. For Gavin, it is the American Flag. You'd never realize how many flags there are in town until you take a ride with my son. He spots them everywhere, even the little sticker flags in car windows. In the public, there are people who think it's odd. I've seen quite a few perplexed faces when Gavin starts dancing and hopping around the flags at McDonalds instead of playing on the big plastic treehouse. You see, McDonalds is a huge triple whammy for him - they always have 3 flags: USA, NC, and Mc D's. Booyah! Trifecta!! Rather than trying to explain the complicated intricacies of autistic behavior, I just say he is very patriotic.

For the party we've rented a local indoor skating rink where the kids can eat hotdogs and ride their bigwheels and trikes under the flashing lights and disco ball. Awesome! We are going to coat the place with American flags, of course. Sara's been ordering the flags and ballons online, and as it arrives we've been showing it to him so he's not completely overwhelmed by the setting when we get there. We've found its best not to surprise him too much - he gets bowled over with this nervous energy that can leave him sprawled on the floor giggling like a maniac. That's fine, but it can also really throw him off track for the rest of the day. With careful planning and prep it'll be fine. We'll post some pics after the big event!